


Danny Phantom: Paint it Black

by Anthiena, DaniPhandom



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-26
Updated: 2011-04-10
Packaged: 2017-10-17 20:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/180749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthiena/pseuds/Anthiena, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniPhandom/pseuds/DaniPhandom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We've all seen one of the paths the timestream might have taken for the Nasty Burger disaster... But what if two survived? Danny knows enough to prevent Dark Danny's future from occurring, but he must deal with the repercussions of the tragedy, and his own grief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Anthiena, my beta, for helping keep this fic tight and on target.

"Too weak to escape... but you're too late to save them!"

The spectral form disappeared into the thermos.  
Danny looked up. The tanks were about to explode!

In desperation, he ran towards them.

"Noooooooo!"  
He trips forward, and watches helplessly.

The grill explodes. The most important people in his life- his friends, his parents- killed instantly.  
" _I'm here. still EXIST! That means YOU still become ME."_

The words circled Danny's mind like a vulture on a carcass. He shuddered.

 _I will NEVER become him_ , he vowed, halting the tears from his eyes, _that is the best way to honor them. To serve justice, and avert that horrible future._

He got to his feet. He wasn't hurt too badly. He walked in closer. The bodies were nearly beyond recognition. However, he grabbed a few things to keep- reminders of them. He picked up Tucker's PDA, his mom's goggles, and realized something- _Jazz was in the peeler. Maybe, just maybe..._

He could see condensation on the helmet. He pressed a few buttons. The suit wouldn't retract. The electronics were damaged. He managed to phase her out. He felt a weak pulse.

"Jazz?" he asked.

She was unresponsive.

"Jazz, please be okay," he said, "I need someone."

She stirs a bit. She coughs.

"Danny?" she chokes out.

"Jazz!" he says. He is overjoyed.  
"What happened?" she asks.

"I defeated that evil version of myself, but... I wasn't able to get to you in time. You were lucky. The Peeler armor kept you safe. But... you're the only one who made it."

She tears up.  
"Then Mom and Dad...?"  
He nods grimly. She cries. For once, she shows that even she isn't in full control all the time. He gives her his shoulder.  
"It's okay, Jazz, we can make it through this," he says, "we're not on the road to ruin- the very fact you survived means that timeline is gone."

The ambulances and police show up.

"Over here!" Danny called.  
The paramedics rushed over.  
"What happened?" one asked.

"She was caught in the explosion. That suit over there protected her, but she still got a few burns, and maybe some head trauma," he tells them, and then adds, "Take good care of her okay?"

The paramedic nodded, and two of them lifted her up onto a stretcher. One of the police walked up.

"Do you know what happened here?" the man asked.  
"Yes. Yes I do. An evil ghost was here. He blew up the Nasty Burger. My family and friends tried to stop him. I managed to catch him in this thermos at the last minute. I was blown clear, but they weren't so lucky. My sister only survived thanks to the Fenton Peeler armor."  
"How old is she?" the officer asks.  
"16," he replies.  
"Any relatives, or close family friends you could call?" the officer asked, "as it is, she's underaged, and you two need someone to take guardianship."

A new thought entered his head.  
 _What am I going to do? I mean, Vlad's an option, he'd probably understand, but that's what he did._

 _Unless I want to end up in a foster home, Vlad's about my only choice,_ he concluded.  
"Yes, yes we do. Could I use your phone?"

Ring! Ring!

The telephone at Vlad Masters' Wisconsin mansion rang.

Vlad Masters looked at the caller ID.

Fentonworks

"I really hope it isn't Jack with another call to reminisce," he says to himself, and picks it up.

"Vlad?" an unexpected voice asks.

Vlad is somewhat stunned.

"Ah, Daniel, what a surprise! Why, might I ask, are you calling me?" he replies.  
"Look, Jazz and I need help... It's a long story, but the short version is I made a bad choice, and my family paid the price," Danny said, "so now, unless you want to claim us, we'll probably end up in foster care of some sort."

To Vlad, this is like a bucket of cold water direct to the mind.  
"Jack and Maddie are..."  
"Dead," Danny confirmed, "and you're the one person left."

"I'll be there within the day, Daniel. My sincerest condolences to you and your sister," Vlad says, nearly in tears himself.

 _Maddie, the love of my life... Gone forever,_ he thought, _what a loss.  
_

Later...  
"And that's the story, Jazz. The whole truth. I'm sorry it ended up like this," he said, holding her hand. She was in a hospital bed, with bandages over her burns.

"Danny, it wasn't your fault," she said, "you never made that choice."

"But I did," he said, "The reason he existed was because I did."

"No, the reason he existed was because HE did."  
He weighed this a moment.

"...you're probably right, Jazz. You normally are. Thanks."

"Any time, little brother. Any time."

He'd just gotten home from the hospital, where he'd explained it all to Jazz. Danny sat down on the couch and thought a bit more.

 _If I'm going to go with Vlad, I should probably pack._

He walked upstairs into his room. He picked out some clothes, and looked at his nightstand. He picked up an old photo. When they first moved into this place. He smiled faintly at it, and stuffed it into a duffel bag. He continued going through his things. He found his shrine to Sam. He chuckled a bit, looking at it.

 _I remember that,_ he thought, and then more seriously, _I'm never going to get to see if that would've worked out now, am I?_

He carefully put it in his bag. He continued going through his things, picking out the useful or sentimental, and saving what he could. He had a long journey ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

It was late. Very late. Danny lay on his bed, in thought and tears.

 _Why? Why me? Why now?_  
It made him think of something he vaguely remembered. Words uttered by a scared man in the cold.  
'Spirit, are these the shadows of things that will be, or things that may be, only?Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead, but if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!'  
HE never cheated. HE departed from his course. But the shadows had still come. Why?  
He almost thought he felt something, and he heard a voice, a ghost from his past."It's okay, Danny," she assured. But when he opened his eyes, there was nothing. He drifted into the blackness of sleep.

 _I see a red door and I want it painted black_  
The funeral was done for the group as a whole, and, for the most part, respectful.  
 _No colors anymore I want them to turn black_

"We are gathered here to mourn the deaths of five very good people."  
 _I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes_  
How could he say that? This guy didn't know any of them.

 _I have to turn my head until my darkness goes_

Danny sighed. It was just a part of funerals, he guessed.  
 _I see a line of cars and they're all painted black_  
People who never knew the dead getting up and telling the mourners how good a person they were.  
 _With flowers and my love both never to come back_

As a funeral that included a faculty, attendance was mandatory. He heard a familiar voice a few rows up. Dash Baxter. "It almost makes me sorry for all the things I said to them."  
 _I see people turn their heads and quickly look away_  
He fought his impulse to fry him for talking like that- Dash was always a jerk, that's probably the best he can come up with, Danny reasoned.

 _Like a new born baby it just happens every day_

He held Jazz's hand.

 _I look inside myself and see my heart is black_  
While the clergyman went on, Danny thought more and more about what happened.

I see my red door and it has been painted black

If that Clockwork guy worked for the good of the timeline, why not just stop it from happening?  
 _Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts_  
He feels a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. He looks at the man to his right, his mortal enemy, turned his benefactor.  
 _It's not easy facin up when your whole world is black_

He nodded wasn't going to be easy, but he'd have help. They were going to make it through this, together.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DP: Paint it Black

Danny silently began loading the things he had to keep- some Fenton thermoses, the Ecto-skeleton, the Peeler- into the van. Vlad was paying for the move, so he had all the time in the world. Jazz had left on the previous van with the furniture, he'd stayed to help with some of the heavier stuff.  
"Thanks again, Vlad," he tells his new benefactor.

"It's nothing, Daniel. We're all each other has, now," Vlad says.  
"No, we're all you have. I still have Jazz," Danny points out somewhat annoyedly, "but I know what you mean."

"So, how exactly did this accident happen?" Vlad probes.  
"Well... It's a complicated story, involivng me, cheating, and time travel," Danny says, climbing in.  
"We have time," Vlad says, getting into the driver's seat.  
"I guess we do," Danny agreed.  
Vlad started up the truck, and they began on the long drive to the Rockies.  
Hey, this isn't-"  
"The way to Wisconsin, I know," Vlad finished his sentence, "I thought my summer home in the Rockies would be a bit better for our arrangement now, it has a bit better bedrooms, and a larger lab area for the two of us. Besides, I have... business there to take care of."  
"Business?" Danny asked, "what kind of 'business'?"  
"An experiment I need to abort before it gets too far," Vlad says, "A biology experiment. Anyways, what's the story here?"  
Danny knew the man knew more than he was letting on, but dropped the subject for the moment.  
"It all started with something mundane- cheating on a standardized test," he began.  
"Are you serious?" Vlad said in disbelief.  
"Deathly," Danny said, "I ended up with the answers to the Career Aptitude Test. Turns out, my using them spawned a future where I was evil, Amity Park was decimated, and everyone I knew and loved was dead. The me from that future- really a composite of both our ghost halves, yes, it's complicated- came back to make sure the accident that caused his existance and the events leading up to it happened. I tried to stop him, but I was too late. By the time I got there, he'd trapped everyone and I had to fight him. By the time he was down, I was too late. I was lucky to even have Jazz survive- she was supposed to die too."  
"A... composite?" Vlad inquires.  
"In that timeline, after the accident, I went into a deep depression. I asked you to rip out my humanity, but my unfettered ghost-half apparently didn't have my conscience. He ripped out yours, and tried to overshadow it. What they became was a being with my past, your evil, and more powers than either of us."  
"Sounds ghastly," Vlad comments.

"It was," Danny agreed, "But it's not going to happen now. I've stopped that timeline."  
"Indeed," Vlad replies.  
Danny is silent a few moments.  
"Vlad?" he asks.  
"Yes, Danny?"  
"I... have one more favor to ask," Danny admits.  
"And that is...?"  
"I'd like you..." he struggled, not believing he was asking this, "to help me. To help me fight evil. That's what caused all this mess, that's why they're all gone... So I think the best way to honor their memory is to do what we can to eliminate it."  
Vlad was stunned for a moment.  
"Wait, wait... You're asking me... ME... after years of a life of shady ethics at best... to stop and help you? Just like that?"  
"Just like that. It's what she would have wanted, Vlad."  
Vlad was again silent. He knew Danny was right. He knew that it was what Maddie, dear Maddie, would want. He took a breath.  
"...fine, Daniel. You have my help."  
Danny smiles gratefully.  
"Glad you see it the same way," he says, "Who knows, maybe for you, this accident, this twist of fate, is the beginning of penance."  
Vlad smiled at the child, even in tragedy attempting to find the lining.  
"Perhaps, my boy. Perhaps you are right."

Several hours and states later...  
"No way, Vlad."  
Danny and Vlad stood in the lab at his home in the Rockies.  
Danny looked at the tube apparatus in front of him. In it was an unconscious girl, only a scant few years younger than he, hooked into life-support.  
"You are not killing her."  
"Daniel, she's a vegetable."  
"Vlad, she's a living thing. I've seen too much death already in the past 72 hours, I won't see another. She is going to live," he asserted, "Besides, if you were planning on using her against me the way you say you were, I'm pretty sure you had a way to fix that quickly."  
"And I suppose I'll have to raise her?"  
"No. I'll deal with that, since you clearly want to throw her aside like an old toy now you've got me."  
"And what about the instability?" Vlad interjected.  
"Oh, I'm sure you had a way to fix that too, if you wanted your 'perfect son'. Even if you won't give it to me, I'm willing to bet I could figure it out, given time."  
"...fine, child, but she is your burden. I will feed her, I will clothe her, but the rest is yours to bear."  
"And the other problems?"  
"I give you full access to my research, if you can comprehend it."  
"Deal."  
Danny touches the glass, looking at the duplicate.  
"I still can't believe you were going to let her die," Danny said, "your ethics aren't the best, but that would have been a murder, Vlad."  
"No, it wouldn't have, Daniel-"  
"Oh, really? What else do you call killing a helpless person?"  
"Ask Jane Roe."  
And then, there was silence. Each had cut the other to the quick.  
"Good luck, Daniel," Vlad said, leaving the room.  
He looked at the girl in the tank. He wondered if Vlad even bothered to name her.  
"Danielle," he said, giving the girl a good enough name, "Looks like I'm all you got. Wish me luck."


	4. Chapter 4

Jazz was arranging her new room. A knock came at the door. She answered. Her brother was at the door.  
"Jazz, how good were you in biology?" he asked.  
"A's. Why?" she replied.  
"I have something I'm going to need your help badly on," he explained, "Come with me."  
He led her down to the lab.  
"Oh, my..." she said, looking in the tube, "she looks just like you."  
"She is just like me, save one chromosome," Danny explained, "and Vlad's told me if she's to live, we're going to have to be the ones to save her. He would've let her die."  
"I see," Jazz replied understandingly, "Does she have a name?"  
"I named her," he said, "She's Danielle."  
"I'll see what I can do," she assured him, "What do we have to work with?"

"This lab and its contents, and Vlad's research," Danny informed her, "The deal was if we could figure it out, she could live."  
"So, the question is, where to begin," Jazz stated.

"Yes. Vlad told me she's unstable," he explains, "she was made from incomplete sequencing of my DNA."  
"Then I'd say we should figure out where the links she's missing are," Jazz concludes.

She starts up the lab computer. She is greeted with a holo-image of her late mother.  
"Welcome to the lab!"  
This naturally quite unnerved her. She shut it off in shock.  
"Did you just-"  
"Yes, I saw it too. I think it was the computer systems."  
"Okay, I am not working unless we can figure out how to disable THAT."  
"Agreed," Danny added, himself a bit creeped out at what had just happened.

He took a look and began booting the computer back up. He noticed an option labeled "Performance mode." It booted up again, in a more low-tech database form.  
"Welcome to the Lab. You have initiated performance mode. Cosmetic enhancements and personality parameters disabled."  
The system still spoke in a perfect replication of their mother's voice. He sighed  
"I guess this'll have to do," he said, "I don't see any other options."  
"Fine," she agrees, and she began sifting through Vlad's files, looking at those relating to the cloning project.  
"Hmm..."  
She opened a file labeled "Records." She skimmed through it- it was a diary of sorts of the experiment. She stopped at the last line- "Subject is unstable in ghost mode- Possible solution- DNA from mid-transformation."  
"According to this, what she probably needs is your DNA for between forms," she concluded, "so I guess we need to figure out how to get a sample from you in that short of window."  
"Okay, I think I can get that. DNA is in about every cell of your body, right?"  
"Yes."  
"Even little bits like hairs?"  
"Yes."  
"Okay, I have an idea. Grab a bit of my hair."  
She looked at him a bit quizically for a few seconds, then caught on. She did so.  
"Now, pull when I say so."  
He begans transformation.  
"PULL!" she pulled away, and ended up with a lock of his hair. She then opened the chamber of what appeared to be some sort of high-tech microscope. She then takes a look at a file on the screen again, and presses a few buttons. 2 double helixes appear on the screen, running by each other. The computer notes 2 differences between the 2, one in the middle of the helix, the other an empty gap.  
"That makes sense," she analyzed, "she's not a perfect duplicate of you, so the gap's not the only thing it'd notice, but it's all we care about."  
The other difference ceases to be highlighted on the screen.  
"Is there a good way to get this in?" he asked.  
"Well, best I figure, we'd need a carrier of some sort. Maybe a modified virus or bloodstream nanobots."  
"Opening file- Axiom Labs bloodstream nanites," the computer informed. They had managed to activate the voice recognition. A blueprint comes up on screen.  
"...Computer," Jazz began, "could these be modified? Made to inject the correct DNA, then be flushed out of a system?"  
"Yes."  
"Hmm... can you estimate time for fabrication and modification?"  
"Approximately 16 hours."  
"Get on it."  
"Yes, ma'am."  
She then continued browsing the files, and found a folder labelled "Subliminal knowledge transfer".  
"Danny, I think I may have found the solution to the other problem of a 12 year old clone with a blank slate mind."  
She opened it and began going through its contents. She got rid of some of the more useless thoughts it would have planted- an attatchment to Vlad as her "father", his own skewed view of the Fentons- and made sure what went in was good. She read the activation document, telling her how to quickly set it up, and in the tube, a small almost visor-like apparatus curved over the girl's eyes and ears. For the first time since Danielle was created, real brain activity registered on the monitors.  
"I guess that's all we can do, at the moment," Jazz concluded.  
And so began the waiting game. 16 hours of killing time, avoiding Vlad, for he was in a sour mood, and just becoming more accustomed to their new home. Time seemed to slow, as it always does when something important is happening in the near future. And then, finally, when it felt as if an eternity of waiting and hoping had passed, they went back into the lab. The screen had 2 progress bars- One read 100%, the other 98%.  
Danny looked to the tube. The visor had retracted.  
"Okay, I'm assuming the 100% was for what that thing was doing."  
The other bar jumped up to 100%  
"Fabrication complete. Please remove nanite solution from the slot in the wall of the glass chamber."  
Sure enough, the small cubic glass chamber on a desk of the lab had a small, corked vial filled with a speckled liquid now affixed to a plastic slot on its wall. Jazz examined the chamber closely, and noticed something she'd overlooked before. The glass box had several miniscule arms with miniscule tools- so that was how nanites could be built.

"Well, all that's left now is to get this stuff in her and hope it works," Danny concluded.  
Jazz looks at the tube that Danielle was suspended in, and followed a line hooked into the girl's palm through the back to a small bag.  
"That should do it," she commented, pulling the drip bag down a moment, "intravenous drip. Gets them in the quickest."  
She slowly poured the small vial directly into the tube, and reconnected the bag. She noticed the heart rate increasing slightly on the vital monitor.  
"Nothing to worry about," she assured Danny, who was a bit more concerned, "just her body reacting to having some DNA overwritten. I was expecting a few peaks like that. She should be ready to be awakened in a few minutes. I took the liberty of unhooking the sedatives, so she'll come to naturally. I'll be back, in the mean time, keep an eye on her. Get me if anything looks bad."  
So, Danny pulled up a chair by the pod and mused. He wondered what to tell Danielle, and what even to consider her. A little sister? A cousin? Perhaps daughter would be more suitable, as she was made from him.  
 _And the rib which God had taken from man he made into woman...  
_ The Fentons were never really religious, but even Danny had heard the Creation story. He chuckled at the thought of likening it to his current situation, indeed, the creator of this young woman was closer to the serpent than God. He finally settled at the idea of her as a little sister- genetically, she was indeed another child of his parents, and that's what he would consider her. He'd help raise her, and protect her. Maybe even train her, if she wanted to help him.  
He noticed her stirring. He turned the seal, and the tube's front slid open. She slowly came to.  
"Hey there," he said gently to her, "how're you feeling?"  
"I'm okay," she replied weakly, "but... who am I?"  
"Gimme a second to unhook you, and I'll tell you."  
He unhooked the girl from the life support and IV, and gave her a quick band-aid on the hand.  
The girl stepped from the pod, and stumbled. He caught her.  
"Yeah, you're a bit weak now- it's to be expected, I think" he assured her.  
"Now will you tell me?" she persisted.  
He gave her his chair, and pulled another over.  
"Your name is Danielle Fenton," he began, "I'm Danny. I guess the best word for what we are is siblings. You see, you were cloned from bits and pieces of me. But obviously you aren't me."  
She looked at him a bit oddly as she tried to absorb this.  
"So... I'm... you?" she said, cautiously.  
"No. You're a person in your own right," he affirmed, "we just have the same biological material."  
"Okay..." she said, "so, we're family?"  
"Yes," he said, "about the only family either of us has left. My parents... and by manner of genetic material, they were yours as well... were killed. You and our sister, Jazz, are all that's left. If we hadn't been able to intervene, you wouldn't even be alive now."  
"What do you mean?" she asked.  
"Vlad Masters- that's the guy who took us in- was trying to clone me," he explained, "You were, in his eyes, just a failed attempt. He would have let you wither and die. But I wouldn't. The moment I found out, I got my sister to help, and together, we saved you. So... welcome to the family, little sis."  
She smiled at him.  
"Thanks," she said. She hugged him. This took him a bit by surprise. He looked down at the poor soul clinging to him, and hugged back.  
"Thanks for caring," she said.  
"That's what family's for. And this one will always be here for you."  
For the first time since the accident, Danny felt a spark of real warmth in his heart- a spark in the blackness that had begun to overtake him.


	5. Chapter 5

"I guess now we should get you introduced to the others, Danielle," he decided. He took her hand.  
"Think you can manage it now?"  
She manages to get up onto her feet.  
"Yeah, I'm good."  
He lead her up and out of the lab. Jazz was waiting at the door, about to go back in.  
"Danielle, this is our sister, Jazz," he told her, "She did most of the work figuring out how to save you."  
"Don't give me too much credit, Danny, without you I wouldn't have even known," Jazz pointed out to her brother.  
"Yeah, but what you did was the hard part," he countered, "Anyone can plan something- the effort comes in actualizing it."  
She contemplated this a moment.  
"I guess," she agreed.  
"Thanks, Jazz," Danielle said, "thanks for the help."  
She gave her sister a hug.  
"Oh, it was nothing," Jazz told her. She smiled down at her new sister.

Vlad walked down the hall.  
"Bravo, Daniel, you surprised me," he congratulates, "and I assume you've given her a name, hmm?"  
"My name is Danielle," Danielle told him, her eyes narrowing "and I think I can figure out who you are for myself."  
"Ooh, looks like she got a bit of your temper, my boy," Vlad said jokingly.  
"More than a bit," she replies. Her eyes glow green.  
"Danielle," Danny said to her, "remember, he's the one in charge here. Whether you like it or not, he's our legal guardian. Until Jazz comes of age, at least. It's only 2 years."  
She closes her eyes a moment and sighs.  
"Very well, I think it's clear she doesn't like me."  
"And you don't like me either," she retorted, "you were going to let me die."  
"You don't understand, do you?" Vlad countered, "Until they intervened, you were a vegetable. Your head was completely empty. Far from being alive in most senses of the word."  
"But not all," Danny intervened.  
"That much I'll concede," Vlad agreed, "but no more."  
There was silence.  
"...thanks," Danielle said grudgingly, "for the place to live and all that."  
"You're welcome," Vlad replied.  
Jazz sensed the tension, and felt it better to break it up.  
"Well, I guess I'll take her and help find a room for her."  
She lead Danielle away down the hall.  
Vlad got a bit closer to Danny.  
"You broke a rule of our deal, boy. We agreed she was your problem. But then you pulled Jazmine into it."  
"So?"  
"Well, if the so-called 'hero' admits he can't be trusted to keep his word," Vlad began, "why do you trust me?"  
"I know you can be redeemed. I saw you in the other timeline. You'd given it up."  
"But that me was forced," Vlad points out.  
"Not entirely. I saw something there, Vlad. I saw potential for good in you."  
Vlad was somewhat taken aback.  
"And you think you can bring it out?"  
"Not me. Not alone. But you're a lonely man, Vlad. And we're the closest thing to family you have."


	6. Chapter 6

Later that night...  
It took a while, but they settled in nicely. Danny sat in his room. He was working on something he hoped would be put to use someday. He was designing a much more practical hero suit. Something more identity-concealing, something with a bit of plating armor, for more resistance. After all, he had Vlad's funds backing him. A knock came at the door. He got up and went to answer. It was his new sister.  
"Hey, Danny," she greeted him.  
"Hey, Danielle," he replied, "what's up?"  
"Just wanted to spend time with you," she answered, "why, and I interrupting something?"  
"Well, kinda. Nothing that can't be put off."  
She noticed the pad on his desk.  
"Wow, that's nice," she said, taking a look at the design, "writing a comic or something?"  
He realized he had yet to tell her what he did, or indeed, what exactly they were.  
"Danielle, there's something I've been meaning to tell you," he said, closing the door.  
"Okay, shoot."  
"This is going to sound weird to you," he admitted, "But, I'm half-ghost, and I fight evil ghosts."  
She tilted her head at him.  
"For real?" she inquired.  
He goes ghost.  
"For real," he said.  
"...that is about the coolest thing EVER!" she said.  
"Heh, you think so?" he said, playfully.  
"Sure. So, this would mean I have powers too?"  
"Yeah," he answered, "but you'll need to learn how to use them. If you want to."  
"Are you kidding?" she asked, "what kid doesn't want to be a superhero?"  
He chuckled.  
"That's something different there. I was more reluctant at first," he admitted.  
"So, where do we start?"  
He reverts back to human.  
"We start with the basics- First, ghost form," he began, "The simplest part, the transformation."  
"Okay."  
He stood up. She stood by him.  
"Focus," he instructed, "the core of this is focus."  
She closed her eyes.  
"Now, picture in your head the transformation, concentrating as hard as you can" he continued.

She continued. The rings of light began to form.  
"You're doing great, just keep at it," he encouraged.  
The rings moved over her. She had done it. Her hair was white, her eyes green, and she seemed to summon up a costume of her own. A black and green superhero-style number, complete with emblem, black mask and cape.  
"Good job, Danielle," he said, "nice costume too."  
"Thanks. Just my take on yours," she replied.  
"Now, the basic ghost powers are flight, increased strength, intangibility, and invisibility. Flight's quite easy, actually. You just have to fall without hitting the ground. Just jump, and then try to stay in the air."  
She crouched, and sprang into the air.  
She hovered, though bracing herself to take the fall.  
"Relax, Danielle, you're not going to fall," he assured her, "open your eyes."  
She did so. She realized what she was doing.  
"I did it. I'm flying. I'm FLYING."  
She sailed in curves around the room.  
"Oh, this is wonderful!" she commented.  
He smiled.  
"Glad you like it, but we've still got a couple more basics to teach you," he told her.  
She carefully landed.  
"I'm game," she answered.  
"Next up, invisibility." he continued, "This one's also pretty easy, after I first got my powers I had problems with doing it involuntarily. Just think about it, and it should happen."  
She stood still, and took a breath. Suddenly, she's not there at all.  
"Good job, Danielle," he congratulated.

She popped back into visibility.  
"Thanks."  
"Intangibility is mostly an extension of invisibility, it allows you to pass through things. All you really need to do to take advantage of it is try to go through an object. Like this," he instructed, as he waved his hand through his desk.  
She looked for something to attempt it on. She noticed his backpack on the desk, and reached through into it.  
"Great. Since you're such a natural, we'll try some of the second tier powers," he said, "but we better go to a more open place for that."  
"Race you out!" She flew quickly out his window and let herself down in the yard.  
He went ghost and followed her.  
"The second-tier powers include overshadowing, ecto-blasts, and energy shields," he informed her.  
"Overshadowing? What's that?" she asked.  
"That is what ghost stories and such often call possession. Taking over a person's body."  
"Cool. Show me?"  
"Well, you're the only person out here..."  
She smirked.  
"Try me."  
"If you insist."  
He disappeared, and then... he was in her head.  
She winced and stumbled back a couple steps.  
"This is basically it," his voice says through her body. He leaves her head.  
"Whoa," she says, "that was... freaky."  
"Yeah, I know. I didn't know I could do that until another ghost tried to use it against me. It's essentially going intangible into someone else's body."  
She smirked again. She attempted, but she just went intangible through him.  
"The trick there is to aim for the head, and stop your momentum once you're in the person," he instructed. He felt her get in on her second attempt, but he calmly let her.  
"Cool," she said through his _body.  
"Yeah," _he thought, _"Now could we get on?"_  
"Sorry," she said, and she left his body.  
"Now you have that down, on to ecto-blasts. For this, you just focus the energy into your hand, and then aim and send it out."  
He demonstrated by blasting a dead limb off a tree on the edge of the surrounding forest.  
She attempted to do the same to another limb, but missed and hit the trunk.  
"Aim needs a little work, but otherwise, pretty good," he encouraged her, "overall you're a lot better than I was at the same point."  
"Thanks," she replied.  
"And the shield was something I kinda learned by instinct. It happened when I was bracing myself against something coming at me. Just hold your hands out, and focus on protecting yourself."  
She nodded, closed her eyes, and held her hands out, as if to brace herself against an invisible wall. A bubble of ectoplasmic energy surrounded her.  
He knocked on it a couple times.  
"Good work," he encouraged her, as she let it down, "that's about all I think you'd be likely to be able to accomplish. There are other powers, but they're pretty much either too destructive to risk or things I can't quite do properly. I was surprised to see you learn them so fast. It took me a couple months to get it all down. How do you feel about a supper break?"  
"Sounds good," she said.  
"Let's make it special," he added on an impulse, "We'll go somewhere. Just you and me. A little brother-sister bonding time. On Vlad's tab."  
She smiled.  
"That sounds nice."


	7. Chapter 7

That evening went well. Danny shared in Danielle's first meal, and they worked out some terms on her helping him. They went home, and Danny returned again to his room. He lay down.  
 _Maybe things aren't so bad after all,_ he reflected. He drifted into a sound sleep. And then... it happened. He began dreaming. He was in complete emptiness. A void. He could make out something in the distance. He moved towards it, trying to make out what it was.  
"Danny!"  
The voice hit him like a wave against a cliff. He didn't believe what he heard. He rushed forwards. He could tell it was a female figure.  
"Sam?" he called out.  
The figure began moving towards him. The 2 reached, and indeed, it was Sam.  
"Danny!"  
She held him, thankful to see a familiar face in her sparse surroundings.  
"Sam, where are we?"  
"We're in your mind," she said, "I've been trapped in this void since the explosion. I think I may be some lower form of ghost. I managed twice to penetrate the void so far. The first was the day I arrived. The second was now."  
The voice he had heard returned to him.  
"Sam..." he said, sadness tinging his voice, "if this is all in my mind, then none of it is real."

She frowned.  
"I can prove it," she said. She pulled a bracelet from her wrist. She slid it on his, and then seemed to concentrate. It glowed for a few seconds.  
"When you wake up, it'll still be there," she said, "Proof that this happened. I've figured out that I have limited special powers in this place, but they're limited to the area you're in. I don't know why."  
Danny looked at her.  
"Sam... I'm sorry I wasn't there in time."  
"Danny, it's okay," she said, "you did your best. It's not your fault."  
She took his hand. She seemed to flicker.  
"I think I'm about spent," she said, "Goodbye for now, Danny..."  
"No... Don't go..." he pleaded as she flickered from sight.  
"Sam..."  
He awoke with a start as that escaped his lips. He breathed heavily. His eyes darted to his wrist. It was there. He took the bracelet off and examined it.  
 _No way,_ he thought, _it was real. It was_ _ **real.  
**_ "It was real," he said to himself, though he was still in shock from it, "it was _real._ "  
Then, the meaning of this began to sink in. Sam, or what was left of her, was trapped. Somewhere, she was stuck with no way out and no hope. And no matter what she said, it was _his_ fault. _  
I've got to save her._

Elsewhere...

"Excellent. Everything is moving according to plan..."  
"The girl?"  
"Is but a slight wrinkle. Nothing enough to upset our plan."  
"Good. Finally, revenge will be mine."  
"Ours."  
"Ours."


	8. Chapter 8

"...and then I woke up. With this," he finished, holding up the bracelet.

It had been several hours, and he was telling the events of the night to his sister.  
"Interesting," she commented, "we've never seen that sort of ghost activity before that I know of."  
"I know," he admitted, "But with all the paranormal activities that have been attributed to ghosts... Isn't it possible, or even probable that there is precedent?"  
"You're right," she said, "but if it is... How do you propose we figure it out?"

The next afternoon, in Amity Park...

Valerie Gray flew the city, making her rounds. She was looking for Danny Phantom, but Fenton was really the one on her mind. After all, he'd had a huge accident happen and then just dropped off the map. She didn't even manage to find him to get a word with him at the funeral. She felt bad about it. Then, another thought occurred to her. Danny _Phantom_ had dropped off her radar at almost exactly the same time.  
 _...no. No way. That's crazy,_ she told herself, _I mean, Fenton can't even defend himself from Dash Baxter, but Phantom can equal me... of course. It's genius. Nobody would suspect him... But Danny wouldn't...  
_ She stopped in midair, all the implications this brought entering her mind. She started on the long way home, thinking about Danny. The very concept brought quite a few things into new light for her.

 _That's why he was such a jerk about me and Tucker,_ she realized, _and why Phantom hasn't hurt me._

She felt guilt- after all, she and Danny were friends. And she'd inadvertently dedicated one side of her life to getting rid of him.  
 _...I have to tell him,_ she concluded, as she arrived back at her home, _I need to apologize._

Getting to Danny proved to not be an easy prospect at all. He'd moved from FentonWorks to an undisclosed location, under a new guardian, a person she was surprised to see- Vlad Masters.

That was why she was where she was- Sneaking around the condemned building formerly known as FentonWorks in her gear. She combed through the place, looking for anything that might help. She found something on a counter- It appeared to be a high-tech boomerang. It beeped as she picked it up.  
"No ectos detected- previous ecto-signature engaged," an automated voice said.  
She quirked a brow.  
 _Previous ecto-signature, eh? This could prove useful...  
_ She threw the boomerang, and followed it on her rocket-sled- She had left her dad a note saying she'd be gone.

Several hours later...

Valerie followed the device- It led her through several states to a mansion in the middle of nowhere.

"Meanwhile, at stately Wayne Manor," she said, assessing the appearance of the dwelling and chuckling as she packed her suit into her backpack and changed in the forest around the place, being sure not to be seen. She walked up to the door, and knocked. She gulped.

Vlad answered.

"Miz Gray? My, you're a long way from home. What brings you here?"  
"I have to talk to Danny," she said, "it's important."  
Vlad raised a brow, and called behind him.  
"Daniel, you have company."  
Danny was in his room. He wondered who possibly could have found him here. He walked down the stairs, and answered the door.  
"Valerie!" he said, quite surprised at this- it was the last thing he'd have expected, "how... why..?"  
"Danny," she began, "I came to apologize. And to say... the time for secrets is over."  
"Come on in," he said, "I think we have things to discuss."  
They took seats on a couch in the main parlor of Vlad's mansion.  
"Danny," she said, "I... know about your secret. And, now I do... I want to say I'm very sorry."

"You know? For how long?" he said.  
"I put it together when you both disappeared. That's when I knew I had to find you. I'd been meaning to talk to you anyways," she said, "give you my condolences."  
"Speaking of finding me, how did you figure that one out?" he said.  
"I had help," she said, pulling the boomerang from her backpack, and handing it to him, "I believe you left this back at home."  
"...how did you know how this worked?" he asked.  
"I didn't," she responded.  
"...Well, I guess that's all I wanted to say," she said, " aside from, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I'll be there... I guess I should be going, Dad'll be worried."  
"Oh no," Vlad said, "stay the night, I insist. It's almost dark, and it's near impossible to navigate well in the dark, much less navigate several states. I should know, I designed it."

Danny turned to Vlad.  
"You? You're where she got all her ghost-fighting gear?" he said, "what made you think THAT would be a good idea?"

"Wait, wait... you knew? You set us up?" Valere said.

"If only you knew," Danny said, an edge of annoyance in his tone.  
"It's as you said, the time for secrets is over," Vlad said, "now's as good a time as any for me to come clean."  
White rings engulfed him and he became Plasmius.

"I was the villain of the story. I supplied the equipment, I pitted you against each other, I was responsible for what happened to Amity Park those months ago... I did it. And I don't expect either of you to forgive, or even understand it."

He reverted back to human form.

Valerie ingested the new information.  
"...I better call my Dad. I have a feeling we've got a lot more than planned to discuss."


	9. Chapter 9

Later...

"...and that's how it all happened," Danny finished, "how I became what I am... Why I kept it secret... and why most of my family is dead."  
Valerie could scarcely believe what she'd been told.

"Wait, wait... Sounds to me more Clockwork's fault than yours- the way I understand it, if it wasn't for him sending back Box Lunch, none of this would have happened. You never would have gotten the answers, and even if you had, the Nasty Sauce vats wouldn't have been damaged."

"...I never really thought about that," Danny said, "but you do have a point. If Clockwork had never meddled in the timeline, the situation that caused that horrible future would never have happened."  
Danny found that a deeply disturbing fact. The ghost playing God with the timeline was likely not as benevolent as he'd seemed.  
"But what did he have to gain?" Danny mused, "all it did was create a moral dilemma that, played out either way, killed innocent people of no real significance..."  
"He's a ghost, Danny they-" she stopped, "Sorry, not thinking."  
"It's fine, Valerie- I didn't expect you to instantly get over it, it'll take time."  
Danielle, meanwhile, had started downstairs to get something to drink, and noticed the new girl on the couch.  
"Hey, Danny," she said, "who's your friend?"

Valerie looked up, seeing Danielle. She looked from Danny, to Danielle, and back. She was younger, yes, but her face was uncannily similar to his.

"...Danny, would you mind telling me what the story is with you two first?" Valerie asked.

"...she's my little sister," Danny said, "a younger, female clone of me. Long story there."

"...We have time."

Even later...

"Wow. That's some story."

Valerie shifted in her seat.  
"...I just realized something," Valerie began, "to a degree... Danielle's my responsibility too. If I hadn't fought you so often, so hard, Vlad wouldn't have got what he needed."

"So, you're saying, what, that you're her mom?" Danny replied, chuckling, "And that'd make me the dad. We couldn't even raise a flour sack together."  
"True," Valerie conceded, "But, there was a third party interference there. Not to mention our own shortsightedness. And she's far from needing constant attention."

"Uh, hello, I'm sitting right here," Danielle piped up.

Danny chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess," he agreed, "Still... I prefer to think I have a little sister than that I have a kid who's just a couple years short of me in age."

"Heh. Put that way, it would make me feel old," she said, "but, still... It's a valid thought."

"Well, if you feel 'responsible', you could hang around. I'd welcome any company around here," Danny said, "and I'm sure she would too."  
"Well... It is kinda far," Valerie said, "I can't exactly just drop in for the afternoon.

Danny grinned.

"I'm sure we could work something out."  
And so that spark in the blackness grew, a small flame.

Elsewhere...

"This is not good. He's not blaming himself, and he's not convinced about her condition. That puts a kink in the works."

"You forget the instability of a teenage mind. Our little birdie simply needs to be made to give him a slight push in the right direction. Pluck a feather or two, she'll sing just what he needs to hear..."

Later still...

Danielle had already gone back upstairs, likely to bed, considering the time, but Danny and Valerie had kept talking- catching up and musing on the current situation.

 _Danny._

Danny looked around with a start.

 _Danny, help me..._

"...did you hear something?" he said.

 _They're holding me back... It hurts..._

"No," Valerie replied, "did you?"

"It's... a voice. Sam's voice."  
"...it's always about her, isn't it?" Valerie sighed.

"Who? Who is holding you back?"  
 _...She's back, Danny. And so is he... He nearly killed me before... And now he's back..._

His eyes widened.

"Who's back? Where are you?"

 _Help..._

"...Danny, are you alright?" Valerie said concernedly.

"I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine. Maybe you should lie down."  
She looked at him. She meant well, but she just didn't know.

"Look, I heard her voice right now," he explained, "in my head. She spoke. Clear as day. She's able to do small things in my vicinity. She's in pain. Someone's not content to let her rest in peace."

"Are you sure that someone isn't just you?"  
"...I... I guess I don't, do I?" he said, realizing what Valerie said actually made more sense than his own logic, "but that'd mean, what, I'm slowly going insane?"  
The prospect frightened him, as it would anyone.

Valerie looked at the clock.

"It's late, Danny. You should probably get some rest. It might help. We can try and figure this out in the morning."  
"You're probably right. Come on, you can have the guest room- it's across from Jazz."

Valerie picked up her backpack, and as she did, there was a beeping, and a voice- "Ecto-signature keyed."

"...You said small things, eh?" Valerie replied.

"Yes," Danny said, "But, you had a point for everyone- we'd be of better help rested and prepared. I know she'll make it through, she's not the sort to give up."


	10. Chapter 10

Danny lay awake on the bed, unable to get to sleep.

 _She's in danger. And it's all my fault._

The very thought sent a shiver down his spine.

 _My choice killed her... And now my enemies are torturing her. Because of me. There's no other explanation for it. Sam Manson was just the girl next door- she never did anything notable enough to gain enemies... Besides, she practically said as much. Why would she recognize her attackers otherwise? Of course, there is the question... The woman I can't guess, though I can narrow down to two who targeted her as a weakness- Desiree and Ember. However, neither of them had that kind of power... And Desiree would need someone to wish for it... It seemed he had reached a logical brick wall. Nowhere to go._

He rolled over.

 _I'll find out in the morning..._

Meanwhile...

Valerie hadn't gone to her bed herself. She knocked on Jazz's door.

"...Valerie Gray? What're you doing here?" Jazz asked, surprised.

"Here-the mansion, or here-your room?"  
"...The second'll do for now," Jazz said, "come on in."

"...I need to talk to someone about Danny, and you're the only mature, trustworthy person in the house."

"...Well.. I won't tell him. But if he asks, I'm not going to lie to him," she replied.

"...I can understand that," Valerie said, nodding, "after all, you are his sister... Anyways... I assume you know he's leading a double life... Well, so have I, and now we know... Everything's different, but I don't know how to handle it."

"...Everything?"  
"Everything... Danny's the reason I hated ghosts... He and some ghost dog cost my dad his job. Sent us down into the slums. But Danny was so nice to me after... Now I know why. Still, it's... well, it's disorienting to say the least. I don't know how to feel. Danny Fenton was a good friend who was there for me, and last I knew left after a family tragedy... Danny Phantom was, well, a ghost menace to the city."  
"...Valerie, if Danny was ever anything approaching a menace, I'd know. Believe me... I've been 'in' on this longer than anyone else still alive."  
"...That's promising," Valerie said, letting a small smirk show.

"Not remotely what I meant. Remember last Spirit Week?"  
"When you did that disappearing act?" Valerie prodded.  
"It wasn't an act... Remember that special counselor who disappeared after that week? She was a ghost. She seemed to feed off of negative emotions- so she had wormed her way into an excellent spot. That's why everyone was so depressed that week- they all had sessions with her. I was the only person who had an ounce of positivity left. She was going to kill me so she could feed off of Danny's angst about how he could have saved me. I ended up saving him in the end. Point is, he's the same as any of us... Doing what he thinks is right and trying to make the world a better place. He's stumbled, yes, but we all do. Nobody can manage the right thing one-hundred percent of the time. Sure, maybe there was some collateral damage that could've been avoided along the way... but that's life."

Valerie contemplated this a moment.

"Yeah, I guess," Valerie agreed, "... Still... Vlad played us like a cheap deck of cards... Why didn't Danny just tell me?"

"I have a feeling the shooting at him may have had something to do with it," Jazz interjected.  
"Ha ha. Very funny."  
"Well, what would you have done? 'Hey, Valerie, I'm your most hated rival, thought you'd like to know'? Fact is, he didn't, but you have to deal with the fact that's the past."  
"...You know, you're right," she said, "I was wrong about Danny. Now I know the truth. No need to get all down about it. Thanks, Jazz."  
She yawned.  
"Well, I'm off to bed.


	11. Chapter 11

_That morning..._

Danny got up and actually felt _worse_ than he had before going to bed. He hardly felt prepared for the task at hand; yet he wouldn't have to be, not all on his own. He had his friends. That strengthened him. He headed downstairs, to find Valerie at the breakfast table, sipping some coffee.  
"Morning, Danny."

He was surprised to see her up this early. He took a seat across from her. "Hey, Valerie."

There was a silence.

"Danny-"  
"Valerie-"  
Another silence.

"Valerie-"  
"Danny-"

"...You go first," Danny said finally.

"Danny... I have to get this off my chest. I know I said it, but... I've been thinking, and my grudge against ghosts was stupid," she admitted, "and I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you."

"Valerie, there's no need to apologize," Danny assured, "if I held anything against you, I wouldn't have held back in the fights."  
"You held back?" she said, surprised.  
"Of course," he said, "you were doing the right thing, fighting ghosts... well, even if it was for the wrong reasons."

"Thanks, Danny," she said, "I- I really needed to hear that."  
"No problem," he replied, "so, you ready to save a life?"  
"Of course."

"I realize this is a personal thing," he said, "and if you want to back out, I understand."

"Danny," Valerie said, "a life is in the balance. The life of someone innocent is never personal. I know that all too well- I'm a protector too, remember."

"Good," he said, "because this will be dangerous. I have _no idea_ who is behind this, and because of that we can't really make specific preparations."

"I'm right behind you, Danny."

"Thanks," he said, "I really needed to hear that."  
He went to prepare his equipment, and afterward, wait. The waiting killed him inside. Who knew what they were doing to her? But, then again, what could he do about it? He had no idea what he'd be facing, so he needed all the help he could get- just in case.

Elsewhere...

"No. This is _not_ the way things are supposed to go. I need his loneliness, his suffering. Only then can my vengeance be perfect."

"You want to start the backup plan?"  
"Yes."

"Let us unite the gems, then."  
And with that, the world went black.

"Hello, Danny."  
Danny awoke from blackness to a familiar voice... one he detested. "... _you._ " He spat with pure venom.

A female form, with familiar red hair and a business suit stepped from the blackness. He noted that it had a floor but no apparent walls. No ceiling in sight, either.

"Aww, how sweet. You remember me." She cooed over him in that sickeningly sweet voice of hers.

"How could I forget?" He told her rudely. "You nearly killed my sister."

"Yes. Yes I did. Speaking of which, at this moment, the little brat is suffering _exactly_ what she did to _me_." Her delight was impossible to miss.

"You monster."

Another familiar voice came. "They're all suffering, Danny; every last one of them b _ecause of you._ Because you couldn't _just_ be a teenager. You had to play the _hero,_ save the poor damsel. Well, guess what, Danny?" A bald, pale white man, in a dark coat and red suit stepped close to the sadistic ghost. "You have enemies, now," Freakshow continued, "Powerful ones. We make the rules now."

They united their hands, each bearing on it two brightly colored gems. "And now... we are going to _break_ you."

Spectra gestured, and a ghostly form rose from the blackness... Sam. She was bound, and in pain.

"Keep your hands off her," Danny snarled, "She has done _nothing_ to deserve this."

"We're all that's keeping her on this side, Danny," Spectra taunted, "you want us gone, she goes too."

"Get on with it and _kill_ the brat, already..." Freakshow muttered under his breath.

"You don't wanna see him suffer first?" Spectra questioned.

"Of course I do but the longer we take the-"  
This doubt was all Danny needed. He felt the restraining weaken.

"WE are GOD, you lackwit. He's NOT going to-"

He delivered a kick straight to their hands and the gems scattered. Danny dove, catching the gems of Form and Fantasy. "Time to even the odds," he said, and a hole opened in the blackness, depositing Valerie, Vlad, Danielle, and Jazz safely behind him.

Danny dove forward, laying into Spectra as the disoriented group regained their bearings.

"Get the gems!" he shouted to them, "I can handle Lucy and Ricky Ricardo here."

"Oh can you?" Spectra retorted, "thanks to your feelings about dead-girl over there, I'm stronger than ever, gems or no." She shifted to her true shadow form, and delivered a clean uppercut to Danny, sending him across the blackness.

"Hands off of my brother!" Danielle blasted Spectra from behind, surprising her.

"Gems," Vlad mused, in the midst of the chaos, "... of course. The legendary Reality Gems. Form, Fantasy, Life, and the power source. Quickly, Danny- what color gems do you have?"  
"Little busy at the moment," Danny said, avoiding an attack from Spectra, "but I think it was blue and yellow."

Jazz and Freakshow were grappling over the other two. _We have to keep him distracted,_ Vlad realized, _otherwise he could kill us at any time- He has the gem of Life. He could take it from us at any moment._

"Valerie. Help Daniel and Danielle. I'll handle the clown." He quickly knocked Freakshow with a well-placed ecto-blast, and grabbed the gems. "Daniel! Catch!"

Vlad tossed the gems and Danny rose to catch them. He concentrated, and the world around them faded to the grounds of Vlad's mansion. He waved his hand, and Spectra was contained in a thermos, and Freakshow handcuffed. He looked towards Sam's ghostly form.

A flash of light came from behind Danny and he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You can't keep her here forever. You're disrupting the natural process of death and that's a part of my domain."

Danny turned around. Sure enough, an all-too-familiar specter in a blue cloak was there, in a child's form. "Clockwork?"

The ghost seemed in deadly earnest."Hear me out, Danny. A soul stays on this plane because of unfinished business-or another purpose. She was the only of your family and friends to have any. In the normal, natural process, a soul is reborn. Spectra, and Freakshow- and now you- are interfering in this process, and every moment it is forestalled only hurts her. If you really want her free... you must let her go."

Danny was conflicted. He walked up to Sam, who was oddly silent.

"...Is this true? Are you... in pain?"  
She nodded, grimly, her eyes sorrowful.

"...Then that settles it."

He hugged her, and willed off the lock they'd put on the process. She floated out of his grasp, into the air, glowing. She curled into a fetal position. The light enveloped her. It was, quite possibly, the most beautiful thing anyone onlooking had ever seen and very definitely the first time human eyes had watched such a process. She emerged from the cocoon of light, looking the same but... purer. Her hair cascaded all the way to her waist. She was adorned in flowing, light purple robes. She seemed to radiate an air of wisdom and innocence that was almost palpable. But there was no glimmer of recognition in her eyes- she did not know them, not as she had known them before.

"Danny Phantom," she said, when she saw him, "you have done much good..."

"You.. you know me?"  
"It is... Kismet. I know only the sum of your deeds in this life... I must go, I have a purpose to fulfill..."

Tears welled in his eyes. Danny lifted his hand, the gems in it. The thought of changing it- righting what went wrong- crossed his mind. He couldn't hurt Sam... but changing the past would be to everyone's benefit. No harm done.

Almost as if to show him, the gauntlet glowed and he saw images. Fragments of an alternate timeline. One that, despite not being his, existed. His family saved... his life continuing... his first kiss, but he noticed one image, one fleeting image, that left him feeling so cold, it cemented him not to. Vlad cut off from the world and Danielle on her own. Cold and alone. _Doesn't he realize?_ He couldn't let that happen to her.

Even if it meant accepting what had happened. That the dead would stay dead.

He vanished for a moment. Just a moment, and returned. He threw up the gauntlet, and destroyed it.  
"Why, Daniel?" Vlad asked, "you could have brought them all back. Didn't you love them?"  
"Yes. Yes I did," he says, "But... I came to terms with something today. I have a responsibility that I need to live with. Whether it's my fault or not, they died because I am who I am. I need to accept it and move on."

"That," Clockwork, now in adult form, commended, "is a sign of true strength, Daniel. They would be proud. My duty here is done. I must go."He vanished.

He felt a hand in his. He looked up at one of the few remaining vestiges of his old life. The only friend to survive his moment of weakness. "I'm sorry, Danny. I know that must have hurt like hell to go through." She told him softly.

He sighed, but he remained resolute. "Valerie, it's fine. It's in the past. We just need to keep moving forward."

 _Another when, another world...  
_ Danny and Sam sat on the bench watching the snow fall. Amity Park was beautiful in the winter. Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them. He bore a clearly recognizable emblem and an uncanny resemblance to the seated teenage boy.  
"You," he said pointing to Danny. He looked serious, almost angry... but not hateful. Almost... resigned.

"Can I help you?" Danny retorted, shifting to ghost mode.  
"It's nice to see you're treating her well," the other said, nodding in Sam's direction, "but there's another girl out there you need to remember, Danny. Someone less fortunate than you. She's cold, and alone, Danny. She doesn't know you're public, so she's suffering alone, in a life she doesn't deserve, you jerk. Fix it. And you better be grateful every day that Clockwork was merciful to you." As soon as he had appeared, he was again gone.  
"..girl... alone..." Danny said, trying to piece together what the other had said. His eyes widened in realization.  
" _Danielle._ "  
He grabbed Sam."Come on. We've got something to do. My cousin needs a home."


	12. Chapter 12

Danny was back at the old home, cleaning the place up. Vlad had agreed to move, and if the place was to be renovated, it had to first be cleaned out. He was working on his parents' bedroom, the most... sensitive... spot in the house. Jazz was working in their rooms. For sentimentality's sake, he'd set aside a couple of their old clothes... Digging a little deeper around, he found something he recognized only from a few old photos- their wedding clothes. Definitely setting those aside, he decided.

The original prototype portal rested on a shelf. He waffled. It was something important, but not practical or of any real positive significance to anyone... if anything a reminder of the negative to his new guardian... perhaps better suited for selling for scrap than keeping. He noticed a box behind it. He pulled it out. It was filled with photographs, and some other old small things... a couple concert ticket stubs, from a date, no doubt... A pressed corsage that he didn't dare touch, lest it crumble to dust... A yearbook? His curiosity got the best of him, he opened it up. The faculty page... and Lancer was bald as ever.

 _Did that man_ ever _have hair?_ He wondered.

He put the book in a trash pile, it wasn't worth anything in cash, and besides, Vlad probably still had his, if it held any sentimental value to him. He thumbed through the loose photographs, and something fell from between a couple. Danny picked it up- it was an old class ring. He smiled.

"Keep," he said to himself, "or, better yet, give..."

He pulled out his cell, and dialed.

 _Across town..._

Dani and Valerie were enjoying a measure of quality time- a shopping day at the mall. Dani needed some new clothes, she was starting in school here in a couple weeks- advanced classes. She may have gotten Danny's DNA, but not his work ethic, and besides, she'd already had most of the normal ones downloaded into her mind. She was also very competitive, as they were quickly finding out.

Dani came out of the dressing room, in a rather nice looking green top and her jean shorts.

"Hmm..." Valerie said, looking over the young lady in front of her, "I think that works. Green works on you."

She felt a vibration in her pocket.

"Hold on a second."

She answered.

"Hello?"  
"Hey, Valerie, I know you're busy at the moment, but after you drop Dani off at home, could you meet me at the hill in the park? Maybe around six or so?"

"Sure, Danny. See you then."

She closed the cell, and got back to helping her new sister- she had insisted, the idea of being close to even the equivalent of a mother made her feel old- pick out clothes.

 _Sunset- Six o' clock..._

Danny leaned against the tree on the hill. It was a nice place, good view of the town he protected. Whether they liked it or not, and it generally tended to "not". He flipped the ring in his hand, he was waiting for her. She, meanwhile, was coming from the opposite direction he expected.

She put an arm around him from behind.

"Nice view," she said.

"Yeah," he said, "I used to go to the top of this old tree, look over the whole town, when I was younger."  
"So, any reason you asked me hear, aside from the view?"  
"Valerie... I... I'm going to ask you something. But first, I want you to consider a few things. Valerie, being around me is dangerous. My enemies are dangerous, my lifestyle is dangerous... and I've seen it proven that, sometimes, I can be dangerous just by being me. That said..."

He held out his hand, offering her the ring he'd found earlier.

"Valerie, if you're willing to take the risk... I want you to share that life with me. I want us to be together. And if you want it too... I want you to take this. It was my Dad's."  
She took the ring. "My answer is yes. I want us to be together, but I don't want you worrying about me. I can take care of myself, Danny, and when we can't, we can count on each other."

"Yeah, you're right," he conceded, "I'm just... a bit rattled from what's happened, that's all. Kind of hammered that I can't be Superman, and as long as I do this, the people I love will be the targets of my enemies."

"I thought you of all people would know I'm no easy target," Valerie teased, before kissing him. "Now stop worrying, Danny, things will be alright. It could be a big, bright, beautiful future, and whether or not it is, we'll be ready for it."

70 Years Later...

The pure ghost Danny Phantom had outlived them all. Danny _Fenton_ had moved on after death, nothing unfinished. He was alone. He was timeless, a symbol of ideals. Of a never-ending battle against evil. But, now he had nobody to fight _for_. He drifted through the Ghost Zone, empty. That's the only word that could describe his feelings. He had nothing. No one. Only a purpose he couldn't quite fulfill. Not yet; and then one day from behind him , a voice someone left behind long ago... She was similarly alone, as a ghost embodying more a concept than any transient unfinished business. They would never pass on, not as long as any intelligent being existed to grasp those concepts.

"...I have watched you for a long time, Danny Phantom."

"-and?" he asked, turning to face her.

"...I have grasped things that I before did not." The glimmer of recognition showed in her eyes.

"You... you remembered." He didn't dare hope, yet here she was, after the long years of solitude.  
"I did... it was my kismet." She took his hand; "-and I am yours."


End file.
